There’s nothing that’s good about cancer. As a result, patients getting cancer treatment will sometimes feel compelled to dismiss cancer treatment side effects, including hearing loss, as trivial. But it’s essential to keep in mind that, for a lot of cancer patients, there is life after your disease. And you want that life to be as full and prosperous as possible.
This means it’s crucial to talk to your care team about decreasing and managing side effects caused by your treatment. By discussing potential hearing loss, tinnitus, or balance issues that might arise from chemotherapy, for example, you’ll be more ready for what comes next, and be in a better position to completely enjoy life after cancer.
Cancer treatment options
Cancer treatment has progressed substantially in the past couple of decades. The development of some cancers can even be avoided with vaccines. But, generally speaking, there are still three basic ways that doctors will combat this serious disease: surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Each treatment option has its own distinctive strengths and drawbacks, and none of them are mutually exclusive. The best treatment course will be guided by your diagnosis, your prognosis, and your care team.
Do all cancer treatments cause hearing and balance issues? Well, every patient is different, but in general, these side effects are restricted to chemotherapy.
What is chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells with a combination of strong chemicals. Because of its extremely successful track record, chemotherapy is frequently the main treatment option for a wide variety of cancers. But chemotherapy can bring on some really uncomfortable side effects because these chemicals are so powerful. Here are several of these side effects:
- Tiredness and fatigue
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Loss of hearing
- Hair loss
- Mouth sores
Side effects of chemotherapy tend to differ from person to person. The particular combination of chemicals also has a significant impact on the specific side effects. Some of these side effects are often pretty visible and well known (hair loss, for example). But that isn’t necessarily the case with chemotherapy-induced hearing loss.
Does chemo cause hearing loss?
Loss of hearing is not one of the more well known side effects of chemotherapy. But the reality is that chemotherapy can and does cause hearing loss. Is chemo-induced hearing loss irreversible? The answer is frequently yes.
So is there a specific type of chemo that is more likely to result in hearing loss? Platinum-based chemical protocols (also called cisplatin-based chemotherapy) are more typically responsible for hearing loss side effects. These kinds of therapies are most often used to treat head, neck, and gynecological cancers, but they can be used for other cancers too.
Scientists aren’t exactly certain how the cause and effect works, but the general sense is that platinum-based chemotherapy chemicals are especially adept at causing harm to the fragile hairs in your ear. Over time, this can cause hearing loss, and that hearing loss tends to be permanent.
Hearing loss is something you want to pay attention to, even when you’re battling cancer
When you’re fighting cancer, hearing loss might not feel like your biggest concern. But even when you’re coping with cancer, there are considerable reasons why your hearing health is relevant:
- Chemotherapy-caused hearing loss can also result in balance problems and tinnitus. So can tinnitus also be triggered by chemotherapy? Well, unfortunately, the answer is yes. Tinnitus is frequently linked to balance issues which can also be a problem. When you’re recouping from chemotherapy, the last thing you need is to have a fall.
- Hearing loss, especially neglected hearing loss, can negatively impact your mental health. Anxiety and depression are closely linked to neglected hearing loss. Somebody who is battling cancer already has a heavy weight on their shoulders and the last thing they need is extra anxiety and depression.
- Social isolation is frequently the outcome of hearing loss. Lots of different conditions can be exacerbated by this. If you’re feeling isolated socially, it can become laborious to do everyday activities, especially getting appropriate treatment.
Decreasing other health issues while you’re fighting cancer will likely be a priority, and something you’ll want to talk to your care team about.
So what should you do?
When you’re battling cancer, your life becomes never-ending doctor’s appointments. But don’t allow that to stop you from scheduling an appointment for a hearing exam.
Here are a number of things that visiting a hearing specialist will help with:
- If you do detect hearing loss, it will be easier to get fast treatment.
- Establish a baseline for your hearing. This will make it substantially easier to recognize hearing loss in the future.
- Become a patient of a hearing specialist. If you detect hearing loss, your hearing specialist will have a more comprehensive picture of your needs, your health history, and what your hearing treatment can look like.
So, can hearing loss as a result of chemo be reversed? No matter the cause, sensorineural hearing loss has no cure, regrettably. But there are treatment options. Your hearing loss can be treated and managed with the assistance of your hearing specialist. This may mean basic monitoring or it might include a pair of hearing aids.
It should be mentioned, too, that most chemotherapy-caused hearing loss often impacts the higher-range of hearing frequencies. Your day-to-day hearing may not even really be effected.
Caring for your hearing is important
It’s essential to pay attention to your hearing health. Discuss any worries you may have about how chemotherapy may impact your hearing with your care team. Your treatment may not be able to change but at least you’ll be better able to keep an eye on your symptoms and to get faster treatment.
Chemotherapy can cause hearing loss. But if you consult your hearing specialist, they will help you formulate a plan that will help you stay in front of the symptoms.